Wirepuller for conduits



Febfs, 1946a K.. O. KRUMMEL WIRE FULLER FOR CONDUITS Filed Jun 26, 1944 Patented Feb. 5, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE Application June 26, 1944, Serial No.i 542,232

2 Claims.

Electric wires are drawn through a. wire conduit by means of a steel tape known as a fish tape. This invention relates to a device for pulling the said iish tape through the conduit. It is often exceedingly difficult to pull heavy wire through a wire conduit. If a winch, or block and tackle are employed for the pulling, it will often result in pulling the conduit from the wall or cracking and damaging the plaster and other wall nish.

rIhe principal object of this invention is to provide a highly efficient iish tape puller which will be easily portable and can be carried in the tool kit of the electrician and which will provide sufficient leverage to pull the largest wires without any possibility of ruining the conduit or damaging the walls or other supporting structure.

Another object of the device is to provide a wire puller: which will be continuous in its operation and will not require re-setting, regardless of the length of tape to be pulled; which will be adjustable to provide various leverages and speeds as required; and which will automatically grip the tape without damage thereto.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efliciency. These will become more apparent from the following description;

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side view of the improved fish tape puller;

Fig. 2 is a top view thereof;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged'cross-section, taken on the line 3 3, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a similarly enlarged rear view of the pulling crosshead employed in the device; and

Fig. 5 is a detail view of a head tube which may be used with the improved puller.

The position of a typical fish tape is indicated in .place in the puller by means of broken lines at 28. Y

The improved sh tape puller employs a front tubular portion I0 and a rear tubular portion II. The two tubular portions are held in spaced apart relation and in axial alignment by means of a slide bar I2. The slide bar may be formed integrally with the tubular portions or may be welded or otherwise secured thereto. It is positioned to one side of the tubular portions I0 and II.

' secured to the rear tubular portion away from the anvil I6.

The front tubular portion Il) terminates in a threaded coupling I3 into which a .detachable curved head tube I4, as shown in Fig. 5 may be threaded. The rear tubular portion II is elongated and serves as a handle for supporting the entire device. l

A crosshead I5 is slidably mounted on the slide bar I2 so that it may move freely thereon. The inner face of the crosshead carries a .projecting anvil I provided with a retaining flange I1. An eccentric dog I8 is mounted on a pivot pin I9 above the anvil I5 at a point where the eccentricity of the dog will allow it to come into contact with the upper surface of the anvil.

The crosshead is moved along the slide I2 by means of a lever 20. The lower extremity of the lever 2l! is pivoted on a removable thumb screw pivot 2 I. The latter is threaded into any one of a plurality of pivot holes 22. which are formed in a triangular frame member 23. The frame member 23 is supported from two diagonally extending arms 24, one of which is attached to the front tubular portion I0 and the other of which is The lever 2U passes between two roller studs 25 on the rear of the crosshead. The studs are preferably provided with roller sleeves 29 to reduce friction. The lever is held in place by means of a cross plate 30. Thus, the crosshead is free to move vertically on the lever 20 or vice versa.

Should it be de sired to pull the tape from a conduit leading to a wal-l or ceiling box, the head tube I4 is threaded into the coupling I3 and the fish tape is passed through the head tube I4, the tubular portion I0 and the tubular portion II. The extremity of the head tube I4 is placed against the extremityof the conduit in the box. The intermediate portion of fish tape is then slipped behind the retaining iiange II and beneath the eccentric dog I8 by rotating the latter The dog is then allowed The tube II is then and the other tb drop onto the fish tape. supported in one hand of the user hand engages the lever 20.

When the lever 20 is drawn rearwardly the eccentric dog I8 will squeeze the fish tape against the anvil I6 and draw the former through the tubular portion I0 in an accurate axial direction. The reactive push from the pulling operation is transmitted directly to the end of the conduit through the tubular head I4 so that the conduit is not strained or stretched in any direction. When the lever 20 is swung forward, the eccentric dog will release the sh tape and slide forward therealong to a new gripping position,

ready for the next rearward movement of the lever 20, Thus, by working the lever forward and back, any desired length of tape may be pulled through the conduit.

For light, rapid pulling, the pivot screw 2l is placed in the hole 22 furthest from the slide I2. This will allow the crosshead to make a long stroke with a minimum of leverage. For heavy, diicult epulling, the pivct screw 2| is placed in the holeA 22 nearest the, slide I2. This will pro.- vide a short stroke with a maximum of leverage. Therefore, the user can select any desired hole to suit the particular work being done.

For straight pulling from a conduit Where no` box is used, the curved head tube I4 is removed and the coupling I3 is placed directly against the conduit. For pulling wire through a large conduit, notches 26 are providedl in the coupling I3 which retain the coupling in place on the edge of the large conduit to provide a fulcrum for the pulling leverage. If desired, instead of the notches 25, a suitable hook member could be formed on the coupling I3, as shown in broken line at 2'I, for engaging the wall of a large conduit.

The thumb screw 2|, the pivot pin I9, and the roller studs are preferably ofthe shouldered type so that they may be screwed' tightly in place without clamping theintervening elements.

While a specic form of the improvement has 'been described and illustrated herein, it is desired to loe understood that the same may be varied, within the scope ofthe appended claims, withoutv departing from the spirit of; the invention.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent 1s:-

l. A wire puller for conduits comprising: a front tubular portion; a rear tubular portion; a

slide bar positioned to one side of and secured to both of said portions in alignment therewith and acting to maintain said portions in spacedapart axial alignment; a crosshead slidably mounted on said slide bar so as to move longitudinally therealong; a frame member projecting to one side of said slide bar and in the same plane therewith; an operating lever pivoted at its extremity on said frame at one side of said slide -bar and extending across the outer face of the crosshead thereon to form a lever handle; means on said crosshead movably engaged by said lever so that the slide bar will convert the arcuate movement of said lever into rectilinear movement of said crosshead; and wire gripping means mounted on the inner face of said crosshead in axial alignment with said tubular portions.

2. A wire puller for conduits comprising: a front tubular portion; a rear tubular portion; a slide bar positioned to oneside of and secured to both of said portions in alignment therewith and acting to maintain said portions in spaced-apart axial alignment; a crosshead slidably mounted on said slide bar so as to move longitudinally therealong; a frame member projecting toene side of said slide Abar and in the same plane therewith; an operating lever pivoted at its extremity on said frame at one side of said slide bar and extending across the outer face of the crosshead thereon to form a lever handle; means on said crosshead movably engaged by said lever so that the slide bar will convert the arcuate movement of said lever into rectilinear movementv of said crosshead; an anvil member mounted on the inner face of said crosshead in axial alignment with said tubular portions; and an eccentric wiregripping dog pivoted to the crosshead over said anvil to grip a wire thereagainst. KARL O. KRUMMEL. 

